Buncrana Barbecue Bonanza

by Clare
(Donegal, Ireland)

Shore Green, Buncrana (Donegal, Ireland)

The Buncrana Barbecue Bonanza Weekend takes place on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th August 2009 in Buncrana, Co. Donegal in Ireland. The event will centre on the shore green and the beach and it will provide a fun weekend for all the family. It is being voluntarily organised by a committee of 11 people who took it upon themselves to do something community orientated which would get people of all ages involved in fun activities.

On the Saturday the official opening will take place at 12 p.m. by a special guest. Following that, an open air barbecue will provide all the necessary food and refreshments while the children enjoy bouncy castles, slides, bonny baby competitions, face-painting, sandcastle competitions, penalty kicks, various races such as the spud ‘n spoon, toddler, three legged and sack races and the opportunity to meet Barney the dinosaur. There will also be boat trips on the picturesque Lough Swilly, wet sponge-throwing, horse-shoe throwing and a rally car which will be available for photographs.

On Sunday the barbecue will be sizzling again and all ages will be encouraged to get creative for a fancy dress competition which will kick off proceedings at 2pm. The bouncy castles, slides, face-painting, rally car and boat trips will continue to provide some of the entertainment and digger-driving will test the nerve and skill of the participants. The highlight of Sunday will be a raft race which will start at 3 p.m. This will be overseen by the Lough Swilly RNLI and is guaranteed to provide some fun for spectators and participants alike. There will be a number of categories and prizes will be given so everyone is welcome to enter a raft and make a splash! The grand finale of the event will be a model airplane show which will take place on the beach and over the water.

The festival will run between 12 p.m. and 6p.m. on Saturday 15th and from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. on Sunday 16th August and we hope to turn it into an annual event. Proceeds will be donated to local charities. It is aimed at all age groups and races will be divided into various categories so everyone will get a chance to participate and win a medal, even the parents and toddlers! Other activities will be divided into categories as well to ensure fairness. The Raft Race will be aimed at those over fourteen years of age for safety purposes.